Sun Safety Facts 

• 2 in 3 Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70.
• 95% of skin cancers are caused by UV radiation.
• $1 billion spent every year treating skin cancer in Australia.

With Summer approaching the UV index will be getting higher requiring sun safety measures when outdoors. Even driving in the car, sunburn can occur through the window.

UV Index

The UV Index is an internationally standardised, open ended, numerical scale developed by the World Health Organization. The UV index measures the amount of UV radiation reaching the earth’s surface. It begins at zero and has no upper limit, the rating usually finishes at 11+, which is extreme.

If we can’t see or feel UV, how do we know when we need to use sun protection? Sun protection is needed whenever the UV is 3 or above, this is known as the sun protection times.

You can check the sun protection times for your local area by using:

• the free SunSmart app
• the Bureau of Meteorology website
• the weather section of daily newspapers
• the SunSmart UV alert.

Download the free SunSmart app for your Android device or iPhone to check your daily local sun protection times.